Hello Bloggers,
It is a pleasure to be communicating with you all
again. I look forward to exchanging
vital information and having insightful conversations with you. Please feel free to share your comments,
suggestions and post your questions to my blog.
The general topic for my blog will be
“Children with Varying Disabilities” and my focus topic will be “Autism
Spectrum Disorders.”
According to the American Speech Language Hearing
Association (ASHA). Autism is a disability characterized by challenges with
social skills and communication. Every
child with autism presents with varying forms of the disability. Some children exhibit severe delays while
other children exhibit more mild delays.
Autism presents in varying forms and the treatment techniques for different
children vary as well (ASHA, 1997-2013).
The definition of autism will be changing with the
Diasnostic’s Manual. The description of
autism previously included the following as Spectrum Disorders; Childhood
Disintegrative disorder, Pervasive Developmental disorder-Not otherwise
specificed, Asperger’s, Autism and Rett’s syndrome. However, as of May 2013 the definition will
be altered to include all of the spectrum disorders being placed under one
umbrella of “Autism” with varying degrees (Autism Speaks, 2013).
I have personally chosen the challenge of Autism because I
treat many clients with Autism Spectrum
disorders. I also see a lot of families
that always have questions about resources, what else they can do to help their child and simply
what support they can receive. I have
seen how significantly a diagnosis of autism can change family dynamics as well
as what late diagnosis can do. However,
I would like to find more research to back up my observations. I would like to see what statistics are
discussed that focus on the effects of a child diagnosed with Autism on the
family dynamic. I would also like to
explore if certain families wait for their child to get diagnosed later based
on culture/religion and if their treatment techniques change as well.
In my class we recently read a book about a young lady from
the Hmong culture who suffered with multiple seizures. Her parents and the doctors clashed on
treatment techniques, medications, and methods to help her with the
debilitating seizures. The battle lasted
for a long time and it wasn’t until she had one large seizure and multiple
hospital visits and treatments that the parents and doctors began to understand
how much their opposing views may have endangered her health. Sadly, I do not want that to be the case with
parents of children diagnosed with Autism as well. I don’t want the parents to fight the doctors
diagnosis and ignore the challenges they see in their child. I want both sides to be able to understand
that individuals may have varying opinions but different methods should be
taken to try to compromise for the good of the child (Fadiman,
2012). It is a struggle but
personal opinions and biases can significantly affect the decisions that we
make, our children and our family lives as well. I want to educate parents and families of
children with autism as well as to continue to learn and educate myself as a
professional.
Initially, I believed I was biased as a professional and
viewed parents who waited to get their child diagnosed in a different
light. I couldn’t believe that parents
who had some concerns would truly wait to get their child diagnosed. I believe that I was looking at it from the
perspective of a professional and not a parent with certain cultural or ethnic
beliefs. Since I have been in this class
I have learned that my personal views and opinions on different topics are
based off of my past experiences and history (Laureate Education, 2013). I
have a biased view even though I may be trying to be open-minded. Therefore, I cannot judge parents or
individuals who have had different experiences from me. Everyone does different things for a
reason. My reasons may not be the same
as the other person simply because of my culture and past experiences. As a Speech-Pathologist and early childhood
professional I must respect and honor the opinions of others and realize that
everyone deals with challenges in different ways (Derman-Sparks
& Edwards, 2010). Therefore, I have also selected this
challenge to further explore my own biases and how I can be more open-minded to
the opinions and beliefs of parents born with children with varying
disabilities.
What are your initial reactions to parents when they ask you
if you think something is wrong with their child? Do you refer parents to outside sources or
simply calm their nerves by telling them you believe everything is okay, when
it really may not be okay? Do you feel
uncomfortable with approaching parents about specific concerns related to their
child? Why or why not? How do you modify your teaching styles when
working with children with Autism? Do
you have any biases or opinions about Autism?
Have your biases changed since you started collaborating with parents
and children with autism?
Reference
American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA).
(1997-2013). Autism (Autism Spectrum
Derman-Sparks,
L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young
children and ourselves.
Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Fadiman, A.
(2012). The spirit catches you and you fall down: A
Hmong child, her American doctors,
and the collision of two cultures. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
Laureate
Education (Producer). (2013). Historical echoes
[Video file]. Retrieved from
https://class.waldenu.edu
Hi Melissa I enjoyed reading your blog and know you will do wonderful work with your project. I have experienced working with children with Autism in my classroom, but I felt that I did not help the child at all. Working in early education field we get trainings on Autism but I feel we are not helping these children. How do you feel about inclusion with disabilities in early education compared to primary school environment? Do not get me wrong inclusion is great for some children but not all and especially for teachers who do not have degrees in special education. With teachers not having the education and background to properly help benefit these children development. I was just wondering because I feel sometimes we are not benefiting these children.
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteI'm mixed in my opinions about No Child Left Behind and including children with disabilities in full inclusion classrooms. I have seen the benefits and the drawbacks to inclusion. Some children with Autism thrive in a classroom with typical children. They are held to a different level of responsibility, they are exposed to new methods and techniques, and they can mirror the more appropriate social behaviors and actions of their peers. In contrast, I have seen children who terribly struggle in an inclusion classroom and often lag behind if they do not have a paraprofessional working with them. It's a very challenging decision and one that I believe has been hard for educators to make because of the varying progressions of Autism as well as other reasons.
I do agree that inclusion is great for some children but not all children. The questions is how do we decide? Should we perform more testing to make adjustments? If that is the case wouldn't we rule out a lot of children that may perform well in typical classrooms? Many children with autism don't perform well on standardized tests but do pick up a lot from their environments, social skills groups, and interactions with typical peers. Would we then end up ruling out a lot of children?
At the end of the day I do believe that schools should provide educators with more continuing education classes on how to best treat children with autism as well as other disabilities. More children with Autism and other disabilities have been placed in classrooms where many teachers feel very unequipped. However, you as the educator are always making an impact and influencing that child’s life in some way. My additional suggestions to better maximize your impact with children with varying disabilities would be to;
1. Do a little research on what to expect and the best ways to interact with children with Autism
2. Look at the child's file and see whether or not he/she is receiving behavioral (ABA) services. Once you determine that try to collaborate with the ABA therapist to see what reinforcers are used to encourage more positive behaviors. You can then incorporate those reinforcers into your classroom.
3. Collaborate with parents to determine what behaviors and activities cause "melt downs" to minimize the "meltdowns in your classroom
4. Visit websites and watch movies such as
-www.autismspeaks.org
-asha.org
-nationalautismassociation.org
-autism-society.org
- movie by Temple Grandin
5. Look around the classroom environment and place the child in an area that would not cause too much sensory overstimulation (too bright, too loud, bell, window open, bright posters or any other small distracting items that may cause the child to cover his/her ears, or perform other behaviors that are atypical)
These are just a few of my suggestions. It takes outside work and may require you to go over and beyond the call of duty but it’s all for the good of the child!
Like I said before, I am excited that you are also researching the topic of autism. It will be interesting to see the differing information that we both find. Your questions are great ones. I, personally, have never had to inform a parent that I think their child may have autism, as the students I have dealt with have already been diagnosed. However, I would not be uncomfortable letting the parents know that I feel there may be a health issue with their child. As a parent myself, I would want teachers to let me know if they felt something was wrong with my child so that I could get the necessary help for him/her. I always try to look at those types of things from a parent's point of view and would hope that no parent would be furious for telling them something that could possibly help their child be more successful. One definitely has to change things a bit when an autistic child is in the classroom. I have found the one major thing I have to do is to keep a consistent routine, and if anything is going to change, I let the child know before it happens. Do you find that you have to change your processes when working with autistic children?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response to my post Dixie!
DeleteIn response to your questions, "Do you find that you have to change your processes when working with autistic children?" Yes! Absolutely. I can usually never use the same treatment techniques with all of the children I see with Autism because their strengths and weaknesses all vary. Some children have significant challenges with understanding simple "wh" questions but when engaging in conversation or social interactions with people they exhibit minimal difficulty. In comparison, I have a couple of other clients that have excellent social skills and reading skills but when asked comprehension questions or questions that are more abstract in nature they exhibit difficulty.
Routines are definitely important for a lot of children with autism. Transitioning from one activity to another is a challenge that I have found with a lot of my clients. I have had to make up visual schedules for some clients, give verbal reminders or tokens to other clients, and for different clients use the clock as a means of a visual cue for when different activities will be over.
Every child is unique and different and techniques have to be tailored to fit the child, behavior challenges, sensitivities and patterns.
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI have worked with children with autism and my experience working with them has been very rewarding; I am currently working with a young boy who in the process of being evaluated. I admire your dedication and initiative in researching this topic, which has been a challenge that many children and their families experience. You asked, “Do you feel uncomfortable with approaching parents about specific concerns related to their child?” Yes, sometimes, because there are some parents who are in denial about their child’s diagnosis. This can create a challenge for me as the parents become reluctant to provide the recommended treatment to their child. Conversely, the parents who challenge their doctors and try to learn more about their child’s diagnosis are the parents I rather work with. These parents are eager to learn ways on managing their children’s diagnosis, rather than pretending that their child does not have a diagnosis. I hope you find useful information, which you can apply to the service you provide to children and their families.
Best,
Shamanie
Thank you Shamanie!
DeleteThis is definitely a sensitive topic for a lot of families, parents and students. I also completely understand your concern and reasoning for being hesitant to approach parents that are in denial. I have felt and continue to feel hesitant at times. I have some parents that go to a number of specialists and get diagnosis and then bring their child to speech and confide in me that they believe everything is okay. I have to further break the news about significant language delays and that tasks becomes even harder especially in the evaluation session. When the parents are in denial they take their time with getting the necessary outside services ex. OT, ABA that their child needs. I had one parent who expressed that her child had certain sensory difficulties. I recommended an OT evaluation and the mother was almost close to tears. I further suggested that it was better to be safe than sorry. Sadly, the parent did not start getting OT until 1 year later. When she did start and saw the significant improvements her child started making she came back to me and told me she was sorry she hadn't listened to my suggestion in the first place. It's definitely hard and sometimes overwhelming being the bearer of bad news but at the end of the day we have to remember that its for the good of the child.
I had a child several years ago that the pre-kindergarten teacher had concerns. She had placed him in my class since I was the kindergarten inclusion teaching hoping that he could be identified easier. During the summer, the mother was in the pre-kindergarten classroom and saw a class list with the initials SPED next to my name. The mother wandered if her child was in the special education class. I told the parent that I was not sure what it meant because I knew she did not want her child labeled. During the year, we had many conferences, behavior charts, etc. The mother did not like me sharing my observations with her. In third grade, she wanted to find out how to start the IEP process. I think as an early childhood professional it is our responsibility to share with parents our observations and concerns. The parent may not be ready to deal with the idea that their child may have difficulties but talking to the parents, builds information for them to use later. The child should not have to wait until he is older to be identified.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Melissa!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree! Early diagnosis and early intervention are significantly better. The children that are diagnosed at 2 years old, start intensive ABA, Speech and OT tend to be more functional in everyday life in relation to their social interactions with individuals, language skills and general progress in school. Some of the children benefit so much from the early intervention that they are able to perform adequately in inclusion or typical classrooms as they become older. I have seen the benefits first-hand of children that have received early, intensive therapy. In therapy I am able to work on more advanced language tasks versus simple concrete concepts. The children also do not fall into a pattern of performing the incorrect behaviors over and over but are more malleable at a younger age and can transition from the incorrect behaviors to correct behaviors a lot faster versus being older and receiving therapy at an older age.
Also, as you said as Early Childhood Professionals it is definitely our responsibility to share with parents our observations and concerns. By withholding vital information we may be indirectly harming the child and under my code of ethics as a Speech Pathologist our main goal is to "first do no harm."